There are many instances where it is desirable to monitor broadcasts such as AM/FM radio, satellite radio, HD radio, internet, over-the-air (OTA) television, cable television, streaming video etc. on a relatively large scale. Broadcast monitoring and logging, advertising verification and content identification are just a few examples of current applications that require monitoring broadcasts. The currently available systems for broadcast monitoring are limited in the types of broadcasts they monitor and limited in their ability to be adjusted and reprogrammed. Many of the existing monitoring systems are based on PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus technology. Unfortunately, standard PCI is expensive to buy, complicated to operate, difficult to program, and increasingly vulnerable to timing issues as the scale of the application increases. In addition, the tuner modules used on current monitoring systems must be factory-installed onto the PCI boards resulting in a limited number of available configurations. Since the tuners in these devices are soldered onto the PC boards at the factory, they are not easily upgradeable or configurable in the field.
Therefore, what is needed is an improved system and method for monitoring broadcasts that is upgradeable, modular, easy to operate and relatively inexpensive.